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So today is our last proper day in Washington, we fly home tomorrow. We had some breakfast and headed out just before 10. We had decided to start at the Licoln memorial as there were a few other memorials nerby that we hadn't seen the other day. We caught the free circulator bus to Union Station and then changed to the circulator to Lincoln Memorial. We got off a stop earlier to have a look at the Martin Luther King Jnr memorial a 30 foot statue emerging from the mountains of dispair, represented as two large boulders in the background. Many of the words from his speeches and sermons are etched into the surrounding inscription wall, with the words "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope" taken from his 'I have a dream' speech carved directly into the side of the statue itself.

We moved on visiting the Korean war memorial which is represented by a series of statues of soldiers wading through undergrowth. The memorial is really poingnant with each of the statues looking out in a different direction just as the troops would move in a platoon. The statues are surrounded by a polished mural wall with pictures taken from the archives of other forces that suppored the Korean war including Army, Navy Marine corps and Air Force etched into the surface. We continued on past the Lincoln memorial but not stopping this time and instead continuing to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This consisted of the names of over 58000 men that gave their lives engraved in the memorial wall. The wall is sunk into the ground rather than have a raised profile, so it's difficult to see until you reach it. 

We continued on past the reflecting pool that sits between the Lincoln memorial and the Washington monument, and stopping at the WWII memorial. Dani had a paddle in the water and we sat for a while before moving on. Our last two stops of the day were at the American museum where we grabbed some lunch but didn't stay long and then at the African American museum which had some really interesting exhibits. Feeling a bit tired we headed back to the hotel for a break as we were planning to head out later for photos. We ended up going to a place between the hotel and the National Mall for tea called Matchbox - we went to another Matchbox restaurant last time we were in Washington, part of the same chain. Tea was very nice with us both having pizza and sharing cheescake for dessert. We left the restaurant and headed down to the mall to take few night photos of the Capitol Building and the Monument. Got back to the hotel quite late and packed up ready for tomorrow.  

We set alarms to get up a bit earlier, not entirely successful but we were out just after 9. We headed the metro having decided it was probably the quickest way to get to the zoo, although we had seen the free bus also goes that way. We ended up waiting nearly 15 minutes for the train to arrive so it took a bit longer to get there than we had thought. We eventually arrived just before 10 and headed straight down the Asia Trail for the Pandas. Last time we were here, we had been unable to see the giant pandas so this time we wanted to give ourselves the best chance. We were in luck, having checked the live feed screens that show the 'Panda Cam' we saw one of the pandas outside playing with a ring. He was right at the back of the enclosure initially with his back to us, but he did get up and move around a litle bit before heading back inside. We decided to head on and see some of the other animals.

We started by revisting the earlier parts of the Asia Trail that we had skipped enroute to the pandas. The red panda was no where to be seen and the clouded leopard was asleep at the back of its enclosure, we moved on. We saw the American Bison, and then had a bit of a break on some benches, stopping for some water and cookies. From there we went to look at the Elephants and visited the small mammal house where they had a range of species including a sloth, some tamarin, and naked mole rats amongst others. We headed back up the Asia trail as it was getting on for feeding time for the Pandas so we thought we might get a better luck. When we arrived we found one of the pandas slobbing about on a hammock chewing bamboo, it was really close, which was awesome. Feeding time consisted of a frozen fruit so we stood for a while watching the Panda scoff its way through it and then walked along to the other part of the enclosure to see the other panda that was also out - amazing!

We stopped by the Panda Plaza for some lunch sharing pizza and crisps and then cracked on to see some more of the animals. We went in the Great Ape House to see some of the Apes and then walked on to the big cats. The tigers weren't out unfortunately and the male lion was asleep but the female lions were a bit more alert and moving around so we stood and watched them for a while before moving on. We headed back up the hill through the American trail looking at the sea lion and stopping for an ice-cream. Continuing on, we saw the American Eagle, and the river otters, but that was about it as we werent able to see the bear, the wolf or the beaver. Before heading out, we decided to revisit the bison, Dani had spotted a small yellow bird when we there earlier in the day, but I hadn't managed to get a photo, we didn't really expect to see it again, but suprisingly it was there, I guess they must be nesting nearby. There was a mention on some signs about the zoo within the zoo as birds, insects and other animals that aren't part of the zoo are attracted to the site. We did infact see a range of butterflies, birds and chipmunks on our way around. 

Feeling a bit tired we decided to call it a day a bit after 5. Despite not seeing everything, it really is a great day out and incredibly, free to visit, the enclosures are well designed and I would highly recommend a visit if you get a chance. We decided to catch the free bus back which went from just outside the metro station about a 10 minute walk from the zoo entrance. We had a bit of a break at the hotel, before heading to Nandos for tea, it's our last day tomorrow! 

We had tickets booked for 12 for the Capitol Building today, but we were suppposed to arrive an hour before so had to set off a little earlier. Dani had spotted some information online about a "Circulator" bus, so we decided to give it a whirl. Turns out the bus is free and there are four routes that visit all of the main sites around Washington DC including the zoo. Happily the bus runs every 10 minutes, and so cut the walk down significantly. We joined the queue to get into the Capitol; the rules these days are quite strict - no food, no liquid including water, so we couldn't take anything in with us apart from some empty bottles that we figured we might be able to fill at a water fountain. Inside, we joined another queue to get our tickets for the 12 o'clock tour and then had a little wait before it started. The tour took about 40 minutes visiting the Crypt, the Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall. There are lots of statues dotted about as each of the states gets to submit two each to display. The guide, Elizabeth, was very knowledgeable, although we did feel that there was less information than last time we were here, as we remembered something about the whispering gallery. We wondered if it was much less busy last time - there seemed to be about 6 concurrent groups this time.

Because we were unable to take any food or drink in with us, we ended up visiting the Capitol Building cafe for some lunch. We shared a slice of pizza, caesar salad and drink and then had some cake. It was nice and not too expensive. We dropped by the shop and bought a new badge and a Christmas decoration that was made from the old marble steps of the Capitol Building. We then headed on to the Library of Congress, opting for a self guided tour. We looked at the Gutenberg Bible and some old maps that were gifted by Germany. We also saw some objects belonging to the native people that pre-dated the formation of the USA. We also went up to the gallery overlooking the reading room a couple of times - it's a pretty epic room and features in the film National Treasure. Leaving the library, we walked around the front of the Capitol Building and down the National Mall towards the Natural History Museum.

There was a queue to get in the Natural History Museum as again you have to go through security. Once in we had a wander about. It does seem to have changed a lot over the last few years. We had a look at the special narwal exhibit and we also walked through the mammals section and saw the collection of dinosaurs. It was all pretty interesting but time was marching on again and just coming up to 6pm. We decided to get the free bus back, but it did involve walking down the National Mall to get to the stop. We went to Capital Burger for tea which was a few minutes from the hotel. Back at the hotel, we had a chance to look at some of the photos and update the journal before calling it a night. We've decided to go to the zoo tomorrow!

We had the National Archives booked for 12 today so set off a bit later, having some of the fruit and juice for breakfast that we had bought from Safeway. We also took sandwiches that we had bought from Safeway to have a bit later for lunch. We arrived at the archives about 10 minutes early as advised, to allow time to get through security. Once in, there seemed to be much more to see than the last time we were here. Downstairs there was a large exhibition covering the different amendments that had been made to the constitution over time, with a special exhibit, 'Rightfully Hers', that looked at the struggle for the women's vote which was eventually introduced under the 19th amendment. They also had an original copy of the 1297 Magna Carta, whose premise to guarantee proceedings according to the "law of the land" was the foundation for the 5th amendment to the Constitution: "no person shall . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law". We did spend quite a long time walking through; there was a huge amount of information, historic documents, letters and photographs to look at and it was all very interesting.

Moving on, we headed for the public vaults, starting with the Rotunda which houses the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution. There was a lot of information to provide context to each of the documents including some details about the men that signed the Declaration of Independence, whose signatures although faded can still be made out at the bottom. There was a section where you could select videos from WWII that form part of the military archives that are also stored here.

Eventually leaving the archive, we headed across the road to the sculpture garden, sitting around the fountain to eat our sandwiches by way of lunch. Our next stop was the Air and Space museum; we'd really liked this one last time, so thought it was due a revisit. There was a bit of a queue, to get inside, through security but it moved pretty quickly and then we were in. Seemingly the museum is undergoing a large refurbishment meaning approximately half of it was closed to the public which was a shame, but we carried on to see what there was. Although there were some familiar exhibits some of the others seemed to have changed, I think there were a number of different planes hanging from the ceiling this time, but can't remember for sure. We walked through the exhibits on early flight looking at the Wright brothers' original 'Flyer' plane - the first successful powered airplane. We also spent time walking around the space exhibits including lunar modules and space suits including the one worn by Neil Armstrong.

We were feeling pretty tired by the time we came out of the Air and Space museum, and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we decided to walk on to the Lincoln Memorial; it was still very warm and sunny, and we thought it was as good a time to go as any. It's just under 2 miles and took about 40 minutes to walk across, stopping a couple of times en route for photos. There is a large reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial but given the time of day, the memorial was in shadow, however once we'd climbed the steps, we were able to appreciate the monument reflecting brilliantly in the sun. We stayed for a little while, taking some photos and having a rest before heading back towards the National Mall past the WWII memorial. We were careful not to walk next to the water as last time we were here we were bitten a lot and we're only just getting rid of the bites we picked up in Philadelphia.

Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped in the sculpture park again as they were hosting a Jazz festival; we listened to the music for a little while before heading back. We went to a nearby Italian restaurant for a late tea called Tortino. It was very nice, we both ate from the specials menu before finally calling it a night - Capital Building tomorrow!   

Our train wasn't until 11.20 so we didn't have to get up too early. We packed up and got the metro just after 10, arriving at the station in plenty of time. We decided to grab something to eat at the Pret in the station, sharing a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and some fruit (it's been a while). The train journey itself was pretty quick taking just a couple of hours and arriving about 10 minutes early in Washington. We caught the metro to the hotel, we had to pay $2 each for a travel card and then calculate the cost of the journey on the journey planner and add that to the cards costing $4 in total each. 

We found the hotel easily and managed to check-in straight away. Had a a bit of a break in the hotel to cool down before heading back out to explore. We walked down to the National Mall which is about a 20 minute walk away. It was really hot and humid, so we tried to stick to the shade. We walked along the mall to the Washington monument which isn't covered in scaffolding this time, but is still closed for restoration, and then continued on towards the White House. It felt a bit further than I remembered and you now have to stand much further back than the last time we were here. We stayed for a while to take some photos and then sat on a bench back along the path, taking pictures of some the birds on the Elipse area behind us. 

Headed back towards the hotel just before 7, grabbing some tea on the way back and then going to a nearby Safeway to get a few bits before finally making backaround 9. Put some washing on in the hotel laundry which happens to be a few doors down from the room. Happy days!

Today we decided to visit Eastern State Penitentiary, which was once famed for its progressive system of imprisonment but is now a crumbling ruin. We booked tickets online,, to avoid queuing and also to get a slightly cheaper rate. Even better, we had a coupon to get a further two dollars off - winner, winner! We also discovered that there is a really useful bus that operates around Philly - the 'Phlash' - primarily for tourists, I think, but it loops the city, stopping at key tourist hotspots and single tickets are only a dollar! A day of bargains so far. It conveniently stopped outside the prison so we were soon 'in the clink' and getting our audio tour started. 

The audio tour covered the most significant features of the prison - it was designed to promote 'penitence' hence being named a 'penitentiary' and it was all about completely isolating the prisoners. They had their own cells, their own yard (open to the elements) and were not released from cells at all. Theoretically, it was to encourage reflection and repentence. Over the years, as the war on crime picked up in the States and masses of people were being incarcerated, they had to extend the prison, so things changed gradually. But there is a lot of the original prison structure to have an idea of what it must have been like, although it is beginning to disintegrate and crumble away. It is really quite eerie in some parts. 

From there we wandered towards Fairmont park, immortalised because of the 'Rocky' steps that lead up to the Philadelphia museum of art that's near the bottom of the park. We walked up the steps - we could have run to be like Rocky, but no! - and had a little sit on a bench at the top. It started to rain a little bit so we had to put ponchos on but it passed over, so we 'de-ponchoed'. We decided to walk into the rest of the park and, as we were going down the steps, it started to rain again, so we 're-ponchoed'. But this time, it didn't stop. In fact, it rained more. And more. We ended up having to rush back up the steps and under the shelter of the museum, running through the flash flood water so we were pretty soaked by the time we got there. Thankfully it passed over again, so we decided to head back to the hotel. We waited for the Phlash again and were lucky to get on it before the heavens opened. It was a deluge! The bus saved us a fair bit of walking but we still had to walk a bit and the bus also stopped just before a river running down the street - so any part of our feet that weren't wet before, were certainly wet now! When we got back to the hotel, we muct have resembled drowned rats!

Ended up ordering Dominos for tea, rather than face the rain again.

We had planned to get up early but ended up sleeping in a bit, getting out just after 10. We had decided to explore some of the history of Philadelphia today starting with the Liberty Bell. Philadelhia was the first capital of the United States before it was moved to Washington in 1800, so there are some of the original buildings from the time that it served as capital city. After visiting the bell, we went to the vistor center to get tickets for Independance Hall. You have timed tickets to get in and fortunately we able to get tickets for entry just 20 minutes later. 

We had a short tour though Independence Hall which is where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were signed. From here we joined a queue to enter Congress Hall, which is where the US Congress met when Philadelphia was the capital. When we came out, it did start to rain a bit so we made use of the Niagra Ponchos to keep us dry. Having explored the main site, we decided to look around the local area where there are few other historic buidings including the first and second bank. We started in the Washington Park, where there is the tomb of the unknown soldier before heading out onto Chesnut street to get some lunch from Knead Bagels, a bagel shop. We shared a BLT and a Egg and Ham bagel before continuing to explore. There was a film crew and lots of equipment and cast around on Chesnut street so we stuck around for a bit to have a look, apparently it was for a new TV show.

Walking on, we ended up in an 18th century garden, stopping to take a few pictures we heard a bird cry nearby and saw a brilliant red Cardinal. Whilst taking pictures, we both managed to get bitten a lot - joy! Out the corner of my eye I saw a bird with a much larger wing span fly overhead and seemingly land in the trees across the road in the gardens of a church. We headed out to take a look, but couldn't see anything and then moments later as we were about to leave, a Cooper Hawk landed on a low branch right infront of us, with a mouse that it had just caught. Spent quite a while taking photos before moving on again. Walking off the historical mile, we decided to head for some ships Dani had spotted on the map, the USS Olympia and SS Becuna (submarine).

Arriving at the dockyard, we found that we could go on both the USS Olympia steam ship and the USS Becuna submarine for $10 each, it was really quiet so we headed on exploring the submarine first. It was amazing inside, and we spent quite a long time working through the submarine as we were the only people on board. It's only the second time we've been on a submarine with the last time being at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, this time we saw much more of the submarine looking at living quarters, the engine room and the tornado tubes amongst other things. The USS Olympia was also impressive set over 5 floors including the top deck, we were able to explore 3 of the floors again seeing the more generous living quarters afforded by a bigger ship. 

Leaving the dockyard, we headed back towards the Independence hall visitor center to have a look in the shop and stop for a drink. The weather had also picked up a bit from the morning so I took the oppportunity to get some additional photos of the Independence Mall and surrounding area. As we were getting ready to head off, a gentleman saw me taking photos and suggested we look inside the Bourse Building which is to the side of the Independence Mall. As we were close by, we decided to take a look. The building dates back to the end of the 19th century and inside it is an artisian food and shopping market providing a range of dining options. The architecture is amazing with the centre portion of the building open all the way to the skylights at the top, it really was quite an impressive sight. Whilst there we stopped for a snack, Dani had a sticky bun parfait and I had an enourmous chocolate icecream - amazing!

Back at the hotel, I decided to take the camera out to get a night shot of the council building which is down the road from the hotel. We stopped just outside the hotel on the way to get some tea, managing to get the photo I was after first time!

It was another early start today to catch our bus to Philadelphia. The Greyhound bus was leaving Boston at 10.15 so we left the hotel just after 9. We had decided to walk over to the bus station as it was close to where we'd been yesterday. We stopped on enroute to pickup a Subway for lunch as the bus was due to take nearly 7 hours to get to Philadelphia. We didn't have to wait too long at the bus statioj before it was time to board. The coach was fairly comfortable with onboard wifi and power points should you need them. The journey itself was fairly starightforward, with a short 10 minute stop in Hartford and a slightly longer stop in New York, though we couldn't leave the bus in either case. We eventually arrived in Philadelphia just after 5pm and quickly found our hotel which was only a short walk away. We didn't do much with the evening after our long journey ordering pizza online for tea and watching a bit of TV before calling it a night. 

After our long day yesterday, we decided to take things a bit easier today. We had a later start, grabbing Starbucks for breakfast again before leaving the hotel. We decided to spend a bit more time in the nearby parks, having only really walked through them enroute to other places the last couple of days. We started in the public gardens, sitting by the lake for a while and watching the dragonflies floating about. There was also a cormorant diving close to the edge of the lake for fish, which was interesting to watch but difficult to photograph as it was tricky to know where it was going to pop-up.

Moving on we wandered towards the Frog Pond in Boston Common, stopping off to take photos of the 'make way for ducklings statue' and also managing to get photos of a white breasted Nuthatch and a Southeastern Blue Jay on the way out.  Reaching the frog pond, there were lots of children playing in the water, Dani had a paddle and a wander but retreated after getting splashed a bit by some of the children.

We decided to have a wander down by the harbour, near the aquarium and started heading that way, stopping at Pret for some lunch and then again a bit further down the road at Tatte for some cake. We eventually reached the harbour about 4 o'clock wandering around for a couple of hours before heading back towards the hotel, stopping at Five Guys for tea. As we were walking back through Boston Common, they were just seting up for the last night of Shakespeare in the park which was due to start at 7. We nipped back to the hotel to drop some bits and then headed back to watch the play. The play finished around 9.30pm, giving us a bit of time to sort the cases out ready for our bus to Philadelphia tomorrow.  

It was an early start today, we had alarms set for 7am and were up soon after as tickets were booked 9. After checking directions again in the morning, we found that there was a partial closure on the metro so we were going to have to walk a bit further when we arrived. With this in mind, we decided to get going and grab some breakfast enroute. We took the metro from Arlington station which is close to the hotel and got off the stop before Fenway as the rest of the route was replaced by bus. We decided to walk the rest of the way as it was only supposed to take 10 minutes and we had plenty of time. We stopped at Starbucks and grabbed some Pain au chocolat's for breakfast and then headed on to Fenway park to pickup our tickets for the 9am tour. 

The tour was interesting even though some of the sports talk went over our heads, the ground has quite a bt of history and is the oldest ball park still in use dating back to 1912. The tour took us all over the ground giving us a chance to see the view from the different areas including in the media box. The whole stadium is much smaller than you might think, and you could sit pretty much anywhere and still have a good view of the game. I took quite a few photos of the ground, but unfortunately it was a bit cloudy so the sky looked a bit washed out. The tour finished up in the museum where there is lots of memorabilia including signed baseballs from each of the world series games including signatures of well known players including Babe Ruth.

Following Fenway Park, we stopped for a drink and ice-cream in McDonalds, they're running a promotion at the moment so all sizes of soft drinks are $1. After a bit of refreshment, we caught the metro over to the aquarium. We had toyed with getting the combination ticket for the whale saightseeing tours and the aquarium but the only tour tickets left were leaving at 5 and wouldn't be back until dark at 9 so we decided to stick with just the aquarium this time. The queue was pretty long, but we managed to connect to the WiFi and buy tickets online instead so skipped the queue. We came here last time we were in Boston and despite being very busy, it didn't disappoint. The highlight again had to be the penguins and the giant turtles, we managed to hit both areas during feeding, so with the giant turtles it meant they were swimming around the top of the big tank.

Feeling tired we caught the metro back past the hotel to the Cheesecake factory for dinner. It was very filling although service was a bit hit and miss. After a long day, we made it back to the hotel just after 8pm for a bit of rest. 

We were up a little later after the long day yesterday, but made use of the hotel Starbucks to grab some breakfast. Once we were ready, we set off for the information centre on Boston Common. We were initially after a map, but once there we decided to buy the Freedom Trail map for $2. The Freedom Trail takes you around all of the historic landmarks in Boston, but last time we were here in 2013, we bought trolley bus tickets, so had never actually followed it properly. The trail is clearly marked by a red brick path and can be followed for free, but the map we bought gave us some additional information about each of the stops. There were 16 stops in total, taking you across the city by foot, starting at Boston Common and ulimataely finishing at the Bunker Hill Monument.

Along the trail, we stopped off in churches and burial grounds tracing the steps of legendary American patriots including Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere. There is plenty to see and covering the whole trail took us the whole day. The real highlight was visiting USS Constitution or old iron sides as it was knicknamed due to the way cannon balls bounced off the sides. Last time we were here in 2013, we managed to see the ship sailing out into the harbour and firing cannons, we since found out this happens only 6 or 7 times a year, so this time when we visited it was docked for visitors. You go through some security and have to show photo ID before you're able to board the ship as the site is an active military base but then we were on board. We spend some time exploring the ship both above and below deck, taking a few pictures as we went before moving on to our final stop at Bunker Hill. Just before we left, we made full use of the water vapour spray they had on the way into and out of the base - it was another scorcher today and so the water spray was a welcome treat.

By the time we reached the last stop at Bunker Hill, we were feeling pretty tired so we decided to get a drink and look for somewhere to eat on the way back to the hotel. We stopped at Starbucks and making use of their WiFi, we found a place to eat close by. It was a pub and so we both got ID'd on the way in - first time in a while! I had a steak sandwich whilst Dani had a seafood sandwich, it was very nice, but feeling tired we headed back to the hotel soon after. We spent the evening catching up on some journal and photos, booking tour tickets for Fenway park tomorrow, before calling it a night. 

We had a car rental collection booked for 9am at the airport today, so after gathering our stuff we nipped down to Subway to grab some breakfast and then caught an Uber taxi to the airport. Getting the car was nice and straight forward and we were quickly on our way. We'd paid for a GPS which was handy as we stull don't have data on our phones. As it turned out getting the car from the airport was probably easier as we didn't have to navigate out of a city, instead we were quite quickly on the interstate. The journey was fairly staightforward following the same road for the majority of the trip, so cruise control came in particularly useful. About an hour in to the trip, still in Canada we got stuck in some traffic, there had been an accident and it added an hour to the journey so we crawled on for quite a while. We eventually reached the boarder crossing and as we were British, we had to go inside, so we pulled the car over to the place that had been pointed out and then looked around for how to get in to the border office, which eventually involved clambering over some rocks and going in what looks like a side door (a bit dodgy).

We had to pay $6 each for a border waiver which was duly fastened into our passports with the warning that it must be removed at the airport otherwise we may be consider illegal aliens. The border patrol officer was asking if we were going to a redsocks game whilst in Boston, but we said the only game was tonight and we didn't think we'd make it in time, he told us it was easy Boston is only 4 hours away ... famous last words.

Back on the road we seemed to be the only car traveling down the highway. Vermont was very green with lots of trees and not a lot else to see from the road. We did follow a sign for some services, but never found them, evenutally ended up at a McDonalds about 20 minutes out of the way. Had a bit of lunch and whilst there got some petrol from the petrol station next door. Continuing on the rest of the journey went fairly smoothly until we were a couple of miles out of Boston, and then we got stuck in traffic, crawling into town very slowly, adding another hour to the journey. Finding the drop off point for the car was far from simple, but after a bit of a panic we made it. We dropped the key and then walked our stuff over to the hotel, it was pretty warm and took about 20 minutes, eventually arriving about 7.30pm we were pretty shattered. We made it to a Burger King for a bit of tea, before dragging ourselves back to the hotel. We're close to Boston common and walking back through it on the way back we found hundred of people sat watching a free performance of Shakespeare's Cymbeline, apprently it's on for the next few nights, so after taking a few photos we headed back to the hotel feeling tired. 

For our last day in Quebec, we had decided to explore the old town a bit more. Although we had already been to the citadelle, we hadn't had much time to look around the rest of town so we once we were up and ready we started heading up hill. We went to Tim Horton's first for some breakfast, geting an egg and bacon muffin with a hash brown - nice. We then made our way to St John gate which we climbed up to take in the view. Whilst up there, we saw some people in period costume below saying something was happening in 10 minutes. They turned out to work for the Artilary museum which is just by the gate, and were there to do a black powder demonstration. We stuck around to watch, taking a few photos of the gun shot whilst there, and then afterwards decided to check out the museum.

The museum was quite intersting with lots of information about the original fortifications that made up the city and later the work that was made to make the city more attractive. To improve the local economy the city started celebrating it's history as a fortified city early in the 19th century and it remains the only fortified city in North America, becoming a world heritage site in 1985. Leaving the main museum, we visited the separate site nearby that houses the old barracks. The barracks are currently undergoing restoration work, but there are 3 floors of rooms to explore inside. It was all quite interesting, and we found ourselves back outside just as they were about to perform the black powder demonstration again. After watching for a second time, we headed back up the ramparts and continued walking along eventually ending up back at ther Dufferin Terrace. 

On the terrace, we decided to have a look at the remains of the foundations of the old chatau which are underneath the terrace. Tickets were only $4 each so we headed on down. There is information boards explaining the different areas of the ruins and cases containing some of the archeological finds, again was quite interesting taking about 40 minutes to work our way through. Back up on the terrace we tooks some photos and grabbed a drink in the Starbucks. By coincidence, whilst getting the drink the starbucks, the barista asked if it was my last night and mentioned that there was going to be a fireworks show that you could watch from the terrace! After our drinks we headed back down to the hotel for bit before tea. We had tea at Buffet de L'Antiquaire, the place we had previously visited for breakfast. This time we had club sandwiches each with chips - there was a lot of it, but it was very nice, and good value. 

Later in the evening, we headed back up to the terrace for the fireworks, they were due to start at 10, and when we headed up just after 9 it was already really busy, we'd looked them up online back at the hotel and apparently they are watched by as many as 700,000 people. We had a great view of the fireworks, it was a great way to end our last night here! Got back to the hotel a bit before 11 and packed up our stuff ready for Boston tomorrow!

Today we decided to try out a place we'd seen yesterday for breakfast. The place in question is Buffet de L'Antiquaire, we'd seen some people eating there when we were out taking night photos yesterday and noticed they did an all day breakfast. It turned out to be a good choice, I had a full fry up and Dani had a pancake with eggs and bacon. Feeling pretty full, we headed out for the day. Today we had decided to visit the Montmorency falls. It's a bit further out of Quebec city so we needed to find another route there. We had found a review on trip advisor that talked about getting the bus, so we dutifully headed down to the bus station. We bought the bus tickets from a kiosk and then headed out to find the bus stop for bus 800. We didn't have to wait long before the bus arrived and we were on our way. 

The bus took about 25 minutes to reach it's final stop in Monmorency and so everyone got off. The next bit involved following a man that we thought knew where he was going... we think he did but decided on a slightly different route at the very end. It turns out the falls aren't particularly well signed, but we found them in the end anyway. We had arrived at the top of the falls on a bridge that overlooks them, and after looking for a while we wondered if that was it, but then spotted some steps leading down the side. The wooden steps weave down the side of the falls with lookout platforms dotted on the way down, it kind of looks like an Ewok village. Reaching the bottom, we walked to the edge of the platform right in front of the falls. There was a refreshing mist from all the water that was amazing to stand in given it was another really hot day, so we spent a while there enjoying it and taking a few photos.

We then followed the path around the pool at the bottom of the falls and across the bridge to a welcome centre, where we sat and had a drink in the cool. We had also spotted that you could catch a cable car from here back to the top, and not relishing the thought of all the steps we bought tickets. The cable car took us back to the top on the other side of the bridge from where we had first started, just outside Manoir Montmorency, an old building that houses receptions rooms and a restaurant. We didn't go in, but we did have an ice-cream from the stall on the boardwalk terrace just around the corner - it was very nice. Just as we were about to cross back over the bridge to head back out, we realised that the bus stop where we had been dropped off, was just up the pathway (we'd walked a long way round as it turned out when we'd arrived). As we headed up the path, we managed to catch our return bus that was just getting ready to leave. 

Back in Quebec we had a look for a supermarket that was suppposedly near where we'd got the bus, but it was nowhere to be found so we headed back to the hotel empty handed. We went to a local pizza place for tea which turned out to be a more or less private dining experience, arriving quite late, we ended up being the last customers there. It was very tasty, nonetheless! 

We decided to spend the day exploring a bit more of Quebec today. We were up quite a bit later so grabbed some lunch at Subway which is just around the corner, and then headed into the old town. We started up hill, and found some steps that take you up a bit quicker and after a few more steps we found ourselves on the Terrasse Dufferin which is a wooden boardwalk that wraps around the Château Frontenac which is a grand 19th century hotel. We spent quite a bit of time walking along the boardwalk, stopping on benches intermittently and taking photos of the hotel and view across the Lawrence river. The boardwalk continues quite a way beyond the city walls, eventually becoming steps that lead up to the citadelle at the very top of the hill. 

We walked all the way to the top taking in the views back across the city and the surrounding areas. We had an ice-cream, that quickly melted (halfway down my arm) so I ate it in record time before it made too much of a mess. We continued on, reaching the citadelle, which is still an active military base and home to the 22nd Regitment and official residence of the Givenor General and should she wish to use it, the Queen. You can get tickets to tour inside the residency or around the military base, with either giving you access to the museum. We opted for the tour of the base, and were taking around by Anthony who as it turned out was a teacher on his school holidays. He was really knowlegable and gave us a brief history of the regiment and took us around many of the key buildings - stopping in the shade where posible as it was really hot. One of the stops on the tour was the Kings Bastion which offers some of the best views across Quebec and a great place for photos.

After the tour, we had a walk through the museum which had some really intesting exhibits including a medals room with several examples of the Victoria Cross awarded to members of the 22nd Regiment. Finally leaving the citadelle, we headed back down the hill into the old town, stopping back at the hotel before heading out for tea. We decided to try the hotel restaurant (restaurant Louise) for tea. I had fish and chips, whilst Dani had sausage and black pudding, again very nice. We finished the evening back up on the Terrasse Dufferin, taking a few night photos before calling it a night.

It was another early start this morning for our train to Quebec. We set alarms and were packed up and checking out just after 8 ready for 9.06 train. The train station was only a short walk from the hotel so we arrived in good time, aiming to get some breakfast at Starbucks. Alas, when we arrived Starbucks was closed, so we carried on into the station to see what else was inside. There was a McDonalds but the queue was massive so we decided we would get something on the train again and before long we were queued up and climbing aboard. The journey went pretty quickly, it wasn't so far this time taking just over 3 hours and we arrived in Quebec City just after midday. 

It took about 15 minutes to walk from the station to the hotel and we found it fairly easily. We were too early to check-in so we left our luggage at the hotel and went for a wander. The hotel is set outside the walls of the citadelle and so we spent some time walking up hill further into the old town. We stopped in McDonalds for some lunch and wandered a bit further, calling in at a phamacy to buy some more drugs (we're both still a bit ill). We decided to head back to the hotel for check-in just after 3 and to take a break before tea.

We headed out to Matto for tea, which is an Italian restaurant in a nearby hotel. It was pretty busy so we ended up sitting at the bar. I had spaghetti carbonara whilst Dani had meatballs, all very tasty. Feeling pretty tired we had a fairly early night, ready to spend a bit more time exploring tomorrow.

We got up a little later than usual today - I think the warm weather is wearing us out! So we decided to get brunch instead of breakfast. We went to a relatively nearby restaurant, famed for it's brunches - 'Eggspectations'. I had the 'All American' breakfast (a variation on an English breakfast) and Dani had pancakes, with bacon and eggs. From there, we were heading through the city towards la Fontain park and le Mont Royal today. The journey there was also going to take us through an area of interest marked out on our map, so we decided to walk. After breakfast we made our away across town towards the parks. once in the area we took a walk down Deluth Avenue which is much quieter and partially pedestrianised. There were lots of Grafitti murals covering the walls throughout the area, including some huge pieces that covered the sides of large buildings. 

At the end of Deluth avenue we reached La Fontain Park. We had a walk around the park stopping to take some photos of the dragonflies that were darting about around the edge of the lake. We sat for a while on some benches and then after a bit more of a wander, we decided to head for Mont Royal. We walked along Rue Rachel, stopping off to buy some more water before heading into the park. It turned out to be a bit of a climb, more than we had anticipated given we were already feeling tired but we percevered following signs for a suspended cafe. The cafe wasn't quite what we antipated, but neverthless it was at a nice viewing point down acorss Montreal, and we were able to get some cold lemonade to drink. Whilst we were sitting we noticed a bit of a fuss just down from the cafe, and after a quick look we saw a family of racoons. I was a bit late getting there with the camera but I did manage to get a couple before they disappeared back into the woods.

After the cafe, we walked up the hill a little further to the giant cross that sits at the top, and then we headed back down and walked back to the hotel. We were feeling pretty knackered by the time we got back having covered quite a distance. We had a rest for a bit before going out for tea a bit later on. We decided to go to a place we had walked past yesterday - Brit and Chips. It ended up being just what we needed after a long day, the restaurant is set up inside just like a normal chip shop with some tables around to sit at. It would be fair to say, that the fish and chips is amongst the best we've had. They do a range of different fish and chip meals, and whilst I went for a pretty standard code and chips, Dani had a Haddock in a maple syrup batter! Back at the hotel, I uploaded a few more photos and updated the website. It's our last day in Montreal tomorrow!

Today we decided to head for the old town. Before heading out, we stopped at the cafe across the road from the hotel for a bit of breakfast. Dani had a fruit bowl and chocolate twist, whilst I had a chocolatine. As we were getting served they seemed to have a bit of a problem with the juicing machine which meant we both got sprayed with some bits of carrot - not the best start to the day! Our first port of call was to be the basilica; we had made it to there yesterday, but only in time to find it had just closed. They have a light show on in the evenings at the moment, but we decided to head inside for a look around anyway and may come back another evening for the lights. Whilst in the queue to get in, an information person came past and gave us a leaflet about the old town. I turns out that there are a few streets that are lit up and there was a map with them marked out in yellow - we figured we'd head back later in the evening and have a bit of a wander. The basillica was really impressive inside with a magnificant altar piece. We stayed quite a while, having a good wander around and taking photos. 

Leaving the basillica we headed across the square to the bank which is Canada's first bank. They have a little museum inside, but it is still a working bank - it certainly looks a little bit Hogwarts inside - I was going to take a photo but the security man told me not to. We wandered back towards the hotel through the old town stopping for some lunch in Starbucks. Afterwards we looked in another building that also turned out to be an old bank, but this time had been converted into offices and a cafe in the old banking hall. We decided we would go to St Patrick's Basillica which is close to the hotel. Again it was very impressive inside, but much quieter than the Notre Dame Basillica. We took some more photos before heading back to the hotel. We took the lift to the top to have a look at the view from the terrace. It was pretty decent, but the skyline is not quite so iconic as some other cities we've visited. 

We had tea at a French/Canadian restaurant called Holders. It was really busy, but we were seated straight away. I had the beef bourguignon and Dani had confit de conard. It was very nice, and we shared a chocolate mouse for dessert. Afterwards we walked back towards old town to take some photos. The basillica was nicely lit and there was an animated film playing on the side of the building next to the bank. We walked along the yellow route looking at many of the other buildings that were also lit, back near the hotel we came across a water feature that seenmed to be on fire. It turns out that it's an installation called the 'La Joute' by Quebec artist Jean-Paul Riopelle. Every hour the fountain comes to life with a ring of fire surrounding it before being doused by the water fountain. We only caught the end, so dropped our stuff at the hotel and then went back out to see the next cycle from the beginning. By the time we got to the hotel it was gone 11 so we called it a night. We're going to have have a look at the parks tomorrow.  

It was a bit of an early start with alarms set for 6.30 to make sure we were up and ready for our 8.35 train. We had more or less packed everything up last night, so were ready in plenty of time and checked out of the hotel at about 7.30. The train station is only a short ride on the metro from the hotel, and although we initially got on the train going in the wrong direction, we arrived at union station in good time at about 7.50. We had planned to get some breakfast at the station but despite feeling like we had plenty of time, when we looked where the train was leaving from, we were suprised to find everyone already lined up ready to go. We joined the line and two members of staff worked their way along the line checking tickets and weighing suitcases on a portable weighing machine, and then we started filing on to the platform and straight on to the train. Feeling a bit hungry, we ended up getting food from the onboard selection, it wasn't too overpriced in the end so was OK. The train was comfortable with free Wifi and having downloaded some things to watch on my phone the journey went pretty quickly. 

We arrived in Montreal at about 2.30 which was a little later than scheduled after some delays along the route. After using the WiFi at the station Starbucks, we quickly found our hotel, it was only about a 6 minute walk away. We were able to check in straight away at our hotel which was about an hour earlier than check-in was supposed to be. The room is nice and this time includes a fridge so we'll get some drinks to fill it. With it being a bit earlier, we headed out to explore. We had walk down past the Notre Dame Basilica and towards the water front where the old port is now host to lots of small shops, food vans and some activities including a zip wire, big wheel and boats on the river. We continued wandering, dropping in a the Marche Bonsecours which contains a number of boutique shops.

Feeling a bit tired we headed back to the hotel for a break before tea. I've managed to pickup a cold so was feeling a bit rubbish. We headed out to tea at about 8, going to Il Focolaio, a pizza restaurant close by. The restaurant was really busy and we had a short wait for the table, but once seated service was pretty quick. The pizza was really nice and very filling, I had a ham and mushroom pizza and Dani had a Pollo Nostro pizza which had chicken and pesto on it. Back at the hotel, we caught up on the journal and I updated the blog a bit before bed time. I've nearly had all the cold and flu tablets we brought with us, so might have to have a look for a pharmacy tomorrow!

We got started a little later today, having some leftover pizza by way of breakfast come lunch, before heading out a bit after 11. We decided to head for the old town in Toronto, with a plan to stop off at the St. Lawrence Market. As we walked into the old town district the first thing that became clear was that not many buildings looked particularly old, with lots of new looking glass strucures in place. The old bank of Montreal was particularly interesting as it has the old fascade but now forms the base of a large glass skyscraper. We had a walk through the St. Lawrence market but having already quite a big breakfast we weren't especially hungry for the variety of food on offer. Outide the market we walked over to the nearby post office, which was the first post office in Toronto dating back to 1834. There is a bit of a museum section which is free to visit on the inside, but it's also still a functioning post office so whilst we were there Dani bought Greg a birthday card and posted it! Having seen enough of the old town we were a bit short of a plan of what to do next, we settled on tea and a cake at Starbucks so we could use their WiFi to formulate a plan for the rest of the day. 

We had been toying with going up the CN tower for a view over Toronto, but given that the CN tower is one of the most iconic buildings in the skyline I wasn't especially sold on not getting it in any photos. After a bit of a browse of the Internet courtesy of Starbucks, we settled on a trip to Centre Island, one of the islands close to Toronto as it seemed to over a good view back of the Toronto skyline. The island is easy to get to with a number of water taxis available to take the trip or the main ferry which is just $10 each for a return ticket. The ferry only took 15 minutes or so, and from our position on the right side of the boat heading out, we had terrific views of the skyscrapers that make up the skyline. The main attraction on Centre island seems to be a childrens themepark which we weren't particularly interested in, we did however spot a bar with a baeer garden facing back towards the view... so that's where we headed. We ended up staying the rest of the afternoon having some drinks and then food with a perfect view back of Toronto. It was a great place to sit and watch the world go by with planes frequently taking off and landing in the nearby city airport and boats flitting about around the coastline. A weasel even popped by the beer garden at one point for a quick mosey about!  

It started to cool down around 8 and the ferries had become less frequent. Although I was hoping to get some night shots, we ended up catching the 8.45 ferry back to the mainland as we were starting to feel a bit cold and had an early start tomorrow for the trip to Montreal. Despite it not quite being darkl, the sun was just setting adding a nice bit of colour to the skyline. Back on the mainland we stopped of at the Nathan Philips Square, which we had been to on our first day, to take a look at the Toronto letters which are illuminated at night. It was dark by this point so the letters looked particularly impressive, changing colours every couple of minutes. I took some photos and then we headed back to the hotel to pack up ready for the train tomorrow.   

We bought megabus tickets online yesterday to go to Niagara falls today. We were booked on the 9.30 coach leaving from the bus terminal which is just a few minutes away from the hotel, so we had plenty of time to go to Starbucks in the morning for some breakfast before setting off. The coach took just under 2 hours to get to the station in Niagara and once there the bus and train stations are almost 3 miles away from the falls themselves. There are buses that ferry people back and firth and a number of taxis lined up outside the station to make the short trip - as it was a cooler day, we decided to make the walk. It took a little over half an hour and we stopped at a shop enroute to buy tickets for the Hornblower ferries that you can catch to ride up to the falls. Buying the tickets meant we skipped the queues and before we knew it, we were on a ferry heading into the mist, with our red ponchos doing some work to keep us dry. The ferry is brilliant and definitely worth getting tickets for, giving you a very different view of the falls to the one you get from the path.

Back on dry land we spent some time taking in the view, it really is pretty spectacular, and I can understand why the falls are best viewed from the Canadian side as they face Canada whereas they can only be seen from the top on the American side. We had dinner at Wendys and also had a trip in the big wheel again getting some pretty wonderful views from the top of the wheel. Late in the afernoon, we walked along the path to the edge of the main falls, you could see the ferrys bobbing in the mist below and you could also see a rainbow spanning the bottom of the falls, it was absolutely amazing. 

With some time to spare before the coach back to Toronto, we decided to walk back to the staion rather than catching the bus. Arring at the station early we asked about getting onto an earlier bus and ended up walking straight onto the one that had just arrived. Feeling very tired we ordered Dominos to the room and spent some time going through photos and updating the blog and journal before bed. 

We made a start today at Starbucks for a spot of breakfast, they had run out of the breakfast rolls we were after but ended up with an 'everything bagel' each and a cup of tea. Whilst there, we made use of the WiFi to download some local maps of the areas we're visiting as it turns out that our mobile data doesnt work here. We also picked up a paper map from the hotel and headed out for a bit of an explore. Our first destination was Ripleys Aquarium which is rated one of the top attractions in Toronto, so we went to see what all the fuss was about. We bought tickets on the way in although it turns out it can be a little cheaper if you book, you can also buy an adventure card that covers some of the other attractions in Toronto, but we gave it a miss.

The aquarium was really quite good with a particularly good moving travelator that took you around and then through the main tank in a series of glass roofed tunnels. Besides the huge range of fish, there were sharks, mantarays and turtles all swiming above and around us. It was really impressive. Heading back outside into what turned out to be a very bright sunny day we headed around to have a look at the CN tower which is next door. There was a long queue and we decided to give it a miss, at least for now anyway. Instead we had a wander around a number of old trains that you can wander around that are part of the exhibit by the train museum. We didn't go to the museum but did have a walk around the trains that were out, spotting a number of black squirrels that seemed to be residents in the area.

We had some lunch at a nearby Subway before visiting the Steam Whistle Brewery which is also located in the old train sheds close to the train museum. We went on the brewery tour which was fairly short but included a couple of beers to sample before having a sit in the beer garden. As the afternoon was getting on a bit we headed back to the hotel for a short rest before heading out once more for dinner. We ended up at a British pub for dinner, with each of us ordering the Sunday roast beef dinner off the specials board. Perfect!

The summer came around as quickly as ever this year and with just a couple of weeks to go before the end of term we actually managed to book a holiday. In fact not just any holiday, but a Canadian and American adventure no less. So after a few end of term drinks on Friday we were off on Saturday morning for the airport, first stop Toronto! The flight was fairly standard with a decent selection of films to help pass the time, and before we knew it, we had arrived. Getting through the airport was an absolute doddle and after our cases were amongst the first off the plane, we were quickly on our way. We caught the train into the central station which is only a 25 minute ride and $12 each from Pearson airport. After a short subway ride we were at the hotel about an hour after landing.

The hotel is located in downtown Toronto and pretty close to a range of places to eat and a short walk from Starbucks which should sort us out for breakfast. By the time we checked in it was about 4.30pm and so we spent a bit of time slobbing about before heading out for a bite to eat at a nearby Dennys. The food was nice but there was food left as the portions were massive. We were starting to feel pretty tired as jet lag was starting to catch up with us so we headed back to the hotel, going to bed about 7.30pm local time which is 12.30am back home in the UK. Tomorrow we'll have an explore and no doubt take a few photos!

After a fantastic break in Liverpool, we went for a day trip to Brodsworth House on the way to see mum. Brodsworth House is managed by English Heritage, so if you're a member it's free entry otherwise it's fairly reasonable at £10.90 for entry to the house and gardens. Being a bank holiday weekend, we were treated to a brass band who were playing a range of jolly pieces to the assembled audience!

We spent a while wandering through the gardens, which are beautifully maintained and vary from rose gardens with blooming vines, to a fern 'dell', apparently stocking the largest collection of ferns in the north of England. Some of the gardens have almost an Aztec look about them, with lots of looming cliffs and rock gardens with succulents (possibly nothing like 'Aztec' landscapes, but it made us both think of it). From there, we had a quick look around the house - it was getting on for closing time. It is currently undergoing a serious renovation program. It was taken over by English Heritage in the 1980s but had previously not been really looked after since its heyday in the Victorian period. The conservation work seems to be taking the form of preserving the decay, which I'm always a bit uncertain about as you don't get a 'true' idea of what things really looked like but it is what it is. As it is, they do have an array of interesting objects from the Victorian period, such as an exercise horse and (what's left of) original wallpaper. 

All in all, a good day out!

So that day came around as it always does, the one where teachers are at least as anxious as their students - results day. No-one quite knew what to expect this year as it was the first year of the new 9-1 grades in English and Maths and on Wednesday evening in an effort to distract ourselves, we decided to plan a quick jaunt up to Liverpool for a few days away. Well the results turned out pretty good, which is more than I can say about the drive up. We set off after a morning of results on Thursday and arrived here 6 hours later after quite a bit of queuing on the motorway.

Liverpool as it turns out is quite the northern gem, and anyone reading this who hasn't yet taken the time to visit should plan a trip poste-haste! We're stopping close to Liverpool One which is pretty central and have managed to get about quite a bit. We've been down to the Albert Docks a few times - including today when it seemed to be hosting a folk festival with lots of musicians performing all around the docks - very exciting! We've also been to see the Cathedrals - both of which are less than 100 years old and one of which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year, having only opened 50 years ago!

You can't get too far without bumping into a bit of Beatles mania and amongst other things we saw a canal boat painted up as a yellow submarine, passed by the Cavern nightclub and stopped by 'a case history' which is a sculpture featuring cases from many of Liverpools famous faces including the Beatles. We also visited the central library which is a fantastic bit of architecture and features a wonderful circular reading room set over 3 levels - Dani was in her element surrounded by all the books. 

Anyway, we had a fantastic time, but sadly will be on our way tomorrow. Enjoy the photos!

After all the stresses and effort of moving house (and the temperamental British weather!) we decided to have a last minute break in Turin, to soak up some sun and get a bit of culture. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon, leaving behind torrential rain and instead arriving in 26 degree heat and sunshine. We're staying at the Principi de Piemonte hotel which is very smart and in a great central location. Following a recommendation from our hotel, we went to a place called Alla Lettera for tea, a good pizza place, where we enjoyed some authentic Italian pizza and beer. Walked back to the hotel as it was trying to rain a bit, but not as bad as the rain back home!

We've been taking it fairly easy, but on our first day, we did wander around much of the town, looking at the key sights and finding our bearings. We started at the Piazza Castello, where the Palazzo Reale di Torino is situated and ambled around from there, looking at the old town, the main market place, a number of impressive churches, the 'Mole' (the emblem of Turin) and ending near the river Po. We went back to the hotel for a rest before heading to another recommended restaurant, Pastificio Defilipis, where we enjoyed homemade pasta dishes - Dani had a black ink pasta with swordfish and aubegine, while I had pesto pasta with beans and potatoes, followed by peaches with Amaretto and chocolate and tarte tartin. Very tasty. Feeling full, we headed to the Piazza San Carlo for a walk and to take some nighttime photos. It began thundering en route and, shortly after, we found ourselves in the middle of a full thunderstorm. The rain quickly followed and we dived for cover. Fortunately most of the route back to the hotel is under large covered walkways so we managed to keep fairly dry but there were plenty of bangs and flashes of lightning to keep us entertained on the walk.  

We woke up on Friday to sunshine again and decided to return to the Palazzo Reale to actually visit - it contains about 5 different museums so we thought it needed a good stretch of time! We started in the gardens - a little disappointing, as they haven't been tended well and the only part available to walk around was a patch of grass that was being cut for the first time in what we assumed to be quite a while. The state apartments were splendid however and there was a large armoury, with exhibits of suits of armour for people, children and horses. We had a drink and a cake/biscuit in the palace cafe at the bottom before moseying out. Just outside the palace there is the Church of San Lorenzo, which we noticed was open and decided to pop in, without realising that it was the former home of the Turin shroud and had a small exhibit about it after it was transferred to Turin, with a fill-sized copy on the wall. There was information labellling the key parts of the shroud to make it easier to understand and some information about the various testing that it has undergone to prove authenticity. We also visited the two churches on Piazza San Carlo, which is really close by; the two churches, Chisea San Carlo Borromeo and Chisea di Santa Christina are at the end of the piazza with the pedestrianised part of Via Roma running between them. The churches are quite similar in appearance although Chidea di Santa Christina is more heavily decorated on the outside while Chisea San Carlo feels quite a bit bigger on the inside. It's only a small distance to the hotel so we went back for a short spell before dinner.

The hotel also seemed to be hosting the Torino football team, as there was their coach parked up outside and people starting to gather. As we headed out for dinner later in the evening, we found that large numbers of people were now surrounding the exit and we had to almost fight our way through the barricades to get out! From there we went for pizza - a place called Pizza ad Hoc, where we enjoyed lovely pizza and beer once again. To burn off some of the consumed calories - and to catch a rather glorious looking sunset - we headed out across the river to the nearby Santa Maria del Monte di Cappucini to see the view back across Turin. It's a fantastic view point across the city which came alive with lights as the sun set. The large tower that can be seen standing high amongst the other buildings is the Mole Antonelliana. It has a glass elevator that you can ride up to see the view across Turin, although we haven't done it yet. We stayed up there for quite a while, watching the lights flickering on through the city, with the sihouettes of the mountains in the distance. And, so to bed.

We've got one more week to go before the end of term, and despite losing lots of students and classes now that exams are over, things don't seem to have slowed down much. Dani is doing exam marking again this year which is keeping her busy in the evenings and we're also in the process of buying a house - we exchanged contracts today so the move should be on. I don't think either of us will be entirely convinced until we have the keys, having got burnt on the last one just before exchange. To help with all the stress and well, because Lego is awesome, we bought two new sets this month.

A couple of weeks ago, we bought the Lego London Bus (#10258) which technically isn't released until August. As a VIP member I received an email to let me know they were doing a special early release in their London stores, so we got to the shop just after opening to pick one up. It came with a special limited driving licence - which immediately after seemed to be selling on ebay for £15, so maybe it'll be worth something one day!.

Our newest set is the Lego Carousel (#10257) - its was a pretty epic build although there's a fair bit of repetition with 6 or 12 copies each small build finally culminating in quite an epic structure. I think the best bit is the animals around the side - they move up and down as the carousel turns, its so well engineered! Both sets are amazing and I highly recommend them if you're undecided. I've taken a few pictures to share them with everyone else. I hope you like them as much as me!

We headed out to the Steam Rally this morning to see some of the old cars and steam engines. It has been coming for years now and we've never been but have watched the engines trundling to and from as it's held in the fields nearby. It was much bigger than expected and there's lots to see - so definitely worth a visit if you get a chance.

I've added a few photo's to mums birthday album. Enjoy the rest of your birthday mum! 

I'm up in Sheffield for mums birthday weekend and today we headed over to Shireoaks for their armed forces day fair. There were some army trucks and fighter jet cockpits to look at in addition to a drumming band and army assault course. The weather has been great, very sunny and warm with just a bit of a breeze. It's also the Steam Fair weekend so might try and see that tomorrow. I've added a few photos to the album linked below.

The last month or so has been really busy with the usual revision sessions, coursework marking and general stress that tend to come with May as a teacher. Fortunately it's about that time that things start to calm down, so today we headed out for the day to Waddesdon Manor, which is a National Trust property in Aylesbury. We hadn't realised until we arrived, but Waddesdon was having a Feast festival this weekend featuring a range of food outlets, craft events and entertainers. The weather was glorious with blue skies and sunshine and there were plenty of people about enjoying the festivities. Arriving shortly after opening we managed to get tickets for the house, although they do recommend booking in advance which a lot of people seemed to have done. The house was previously owned by the Rothschild family before being gifted to the National Trust, it remains under management by the Rothschild foundation however and there is a supplement of £4.50 (£5 gift aid) for National Trust members. The house is contains an extensive collection of fine furniture and decorative arts. It is set over three floor and there is a huge amount to see, including an impresive ornate clockwork Elephant automaton. 

The front gardens looked fantastic setup for the feast with long tables running down the middle of the garden and a large number of food, drink and craft stalls lined the sides. There was bunting, flowers and performers dotted through the spaces and lots of room for lounging on the grass. We tried food from a few places including a pizza that took 90 seconds to cook (superb!), a duck wrap and some triple cooked fries. The food we had was amazing but there were so many other places I would have loved to try. We watched some of acrobats performing using huge jenga blocks and even spotted the red arrows and a couple of other RAF planes fly by on the way to an airshow we assumed! I was very excited when I saw the red arrows, I don' think I've seen them since I was a kid but sadly they were abit too quick for me to get a picture.

Headed home late afternoon after a pretty long day out. Dani dropped by one of the stalls on the way out and picked up a fancy new jug/varse which is now sitting on the table holding some flowers she received from one of her year 11 students yesterday. We had a fantastic day and highly recommend the place for a visit - aparently they have a similar market layout at Christmas so one to bear in mind for the winter too! Enjoy the photos.   

Another school year is over, I think that makes 8 now! The sun is shining, the sky is blue, it's time for the holidays to begin. Let the good times roll! Have a great summer everybody and keep an eye out for the updates - we fly on Monday!

Just got back from our camping trip to Kent. We had great weather right up until it came time to leave when it decided to pour down. So a bit of a soggy end to a fantastic break in the Kent countryside. Whilst there we visited the White Cliffs and the newly opened Fan Bay deep shelter.

We also visted Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral. Enjoy the photos! 

It's that time of year where everybody else starts to curse teachers again for their long holidays and the teachers themselves get to feel a little normal for a while, that's right folks, school's out for summer! It's been another busy year and the holiday in many ways seems to have come out of nowhere. We haven't booked anything yet, but we're hoping to get away for a little bit of sun, perhaps Italy or something.

I think that's all for now, no more get-up's! I think we'll make the most of our Sunday with a little wander in the big smoke. See you next time!